Tuesday, October 29, 1996

"The Right of Parents to Direct the Upbringing and Education of their Children shall not be infringed. The Legislature shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article." These 32 words are causing a firestorm of political activity in the state of Colorado this fall. The Parental Rights Amendment is the first state ballot measure to reinforce parental authority and limit government authority in family life. It’s been put on the ballot by Christian conservative groups who see Colorado as a test case for taking similar initiatives to voters around the U.S. Joining us now to discuss the Parental Rights Amendment are two Colorado activists who are leading efforts for and against the measure:

In Boulder Colorado today, Earth First is holding an action against Syntex chemicals; students at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota are protesting Pepsico; in Santa Fe, New Mexico Direct Action is demonstrating against Walmart; and in San Francisco, Earth First hopes to shut down the Pacific Stock Exchange. These events are part of an International Day of Action to End Corporate Dominance.

As we mentioned earlier, today is an international Day of Action to end Corporate Dominance. Demonstrations by environmental, consumer and labor groups are taking place from Kaliningrad Russia to Oxford England, Houston Texas to Toronto, Ontario, Port Elizabeth South Africa to Washington D.C. One of the clearest examples of corporate dominance is the use of child and sweatshop labor by global corporations in the developing world. Charlie Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee has been fighting these sweatshops throughout Central America. He spoke a few weeks ago at a forum called: Gender Justice: Forging Economic Rights in the Global Economy, sponsored by 50 years is Enough and the Institute for Policy Studies

Stories

In a Democracy Now! special, we look at the acclaimed Broadway musical "Fun Home," which swept the Tony Awards last month. Composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Lisa Kron made history as the first female duo to win a Tony Award for Best Original Score. "Fun Home" is also the first-ever Broadway musical to feature a lesbian protagonist. The musical is based on the 2006 best-selling graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic." The memoir is a poignant exploration of family, memory, first love,...

A stunning indictment has been handed down in Cincinnati, focusing attention again on police killings of people of color. This is a start for accountability and justice. Cleveland should pay attention. As the thousand people gathered there last weekend said clearly, “Black Lives Matter.”

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